Labrador retrievers are still tugging hardest on U.S. dog lovers’ heartstrings, but poodles just strutted back into the American Kennel Club’s top five most popular dog breeds for the first time since 1997
FILE - Memo, a Labrador retriever, competes in the sporting group during the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, at Madison Square Garden in New York, Feb. 13, 2018. The American Kennel Club’s annual popularity rankings come out Tuesday, March 15, 2022, and Labrador retrievers are the top dog. NEW YORK — — Labrador retrievers are still tugging hardest on U.S.
The club's annual popularity rankings come out Tuesday, drawn from more than 800,000 purebred puppies and older pooches that joined the nation's oldest canine registry last year. With 197 recognized breeds, the list ranges from such familiar furry faces as Labs — No. 1 for an unprecedented 31 straight years — to theFor dog fans, there's plenty to dig into and point out . So we've rounded up some highlights:After Labs, the top 10 are: French bulldogs, golden retrievers, German shepherds, poodles, bulldogs, beagles, Rottweilers, German shorthaired pointers and dachshunds.Poodles reigned as top dog from 1960 to 1982 before falling off somewhat in popularity.
With their proud stance and elaborate cut in the show ring, “they do have a reputation, in some circles, as just being froufrou," says longtime poodle owner and sometime breeder Page Hinds-Athan of Roswell, Georgia. “There’s definitely more to them.” Poodles historically were water retrievers, and they remain athletic animals renowned for their smarts, not to mention their allergy-friendly coats. Hinds-Athan's poodles have made therapy visits in hospitals and compete in obedience. Other poodles work as guide dogs for the blind,Their intelligence comes with some high expectations, Hinds-Athans says: In training, “if you’re going to fuss at them, you’d better be really right. Because if you’re not really fair with them, they remember it.